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The Big Picture

Posted: Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Houston Astros

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Houston was a World Series favorite coming into the season after adding Clemens and Andy Pettitte, but the Astros were just 56-60 on Aug. 14. They lost Pettitte to season-ending elbow surgery four days later, and most people counted them out. That was a mistake. ... Houston got rolling under manager Phil Garner, who replaced the fired Jimy Williams at the All-Star break, and an amazing late-season surge carried the Astros to the wild card. ... They won their last 18 home games, a club record, and sailed past San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego and Florida in a tight race, clinching on the final day of the regular season with a win over Colorado. ... With Clemens and Oswalt lined up at the front of the rotation, the Astros hope to win a postseason series for the first time in their 42-year history. ... Beltran, acquired from Kansas City in June, can become a free agent after the season. The 42-year-old Clemens came out of a brief retirement before this season. His future is uncertain, just like Biggio.

Atlanta Braves

Atlanta won its 13th straight division title despite budget cuts that cost the team Greg Maddux, Gary Sheffield, Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla after last season. ... Picked to finish no better than third in the NL East, the Braves cruised to another title with 20 wins in both July and August. ... Bobby Cox became the ninth manager with 2,000 career victories and is a leading candidate to win NL manager of the year for the first time since 1991. ... Drew was a shrewd acquisition, finally making it through a season without going on the disabled list. ... Franco continued to amaze at age 46, hitting .300 over a full season for the first time since 1996.